Sons, Boardwalks, and Games

Many of you have written for my thoughts on the season finale of Boardwalk Empire...

If you’ve not yet seen the season 2 finale of Boardwalk Empire, you should stop reading now or risk a major, MAJOR spoiler. If you’ve not yet season the season 4 finale of Sons of Anarchy, you should stop reading now or risk a major, MAJOR spoiler.

I don’t know if I’ll be watching Sons of Anarchy next season. Many of you wrote to ask during Duana’s recaps whether or not she even liked the show. It’s a fair question. But based on Season 4 and, to be honest, Season 3, what really is there to like? WHO is there to like? Mine is a compounded disappointment. Season 3 in Ireland was terrible. Season 4 back in Charming had so much promise. And he pushed, Sutter did. He pushed hard. I think the problem is that he pushed farther than he intended to. He took the show to a place where going logically and authentically forward meant losing key players, but turning back meant losing the faith of the audience. You know his decision. As a viewer then, mine is about whether or not I believe in it anymore. And I can’t get over both Juice and Clay NOT dying in the same season. Certain things you forgive in a show. Other things become major betrayals. Like, don’t take me there, don’t take me to Opie shooting Clay, and then pussy out and spare his life, just because you want to stretch this sh-t to 7 seasons. And no, sorry, Jax being hot and sexy - which he ISN’T - doesn’t save the show for me. What, ultimately, you look for in a show is the courage to follow the characters where they’re supposed to go based on the choices they make.

This is why Ned Stark had to die in Game of Thrones. And this is why I loved every minute of it. Because he was a dumbass. And in the Game of Thrones, dumbasses deserve to die. They killed off the only “name” they had in service of the story. And that’s exactly what happened on Boardwalk Empire too.

From the end of last season, when Jimmy decided to align with Eli and the Commodore, when his character made that fateful call, it was either Jimmy or Nucky. If you choose Nucky then Jimmy HAD TO GO. That’s it. These are GANGSTERS. This is not Grey’s Anatomy. They don’t f-cking hug and make up. Otherwise, how could they retain control? There is only one conclusion to a failed coup attempt and it is DEATH. And it doesn’t matter that the actor is the #2 on the show or whatever. This is how you properly serve your story. And, in turn, your audience. If you watched The Sopranos, it shouldn’t surprise you that Terence Winter understands this. In my opinion, more than Kurt Sutter.

For all of you who think it was a conspiracy because Michael Pitt is so difficult - I don’t think so and I don’t think Michael Pitt’s personality issues would actually be a problem in the Boardwalk Empire environment. They probably welcome that kind of “artistic” sensibility over there, you know? Jimmy, like Clay in Sons of Anarchy, put himself into a corner. Somehow an angel in the land of criminals (!!!) opened up a trap door for him to escape. It was weak. Jimmy’s ending was not weak. It was right. It was the only. And to me, it shows how much respect Boardwalk Empire has for its fans.

Also... I can’t talk about Jimmy’s relationship with his mother because, obviously. But did you know that, errrm, Gretchen Mol had a daughter and called her “Winter”?